Telephony.



No. 792,693. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

A. BIIELL. TELEPHONY.

APPLIOATION FILED 0GT. 25,1904.

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NITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT FFICE.

EDWARD A. BUELL, OF DEKALB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SELECTIVE SIGNAL & TELEPHONE MANUFACTURING CO., OF SYCAMORE, ILLI- NOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TELEPHONY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,693, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed October 25, 1904. Serial No. 229,937.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. BUELL, a citizen of Canada, residing at Dekalb, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Telephony, of which the following is afull,clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to selective signaling appliances, and is of particular utility in connection with telephone exchange systems from which party-lines extend.

My invention has for its object the provision of improved apparatus at the exchange that may be used in cooperation with any suitable selecting and releasing apparatus at each of the substations of a telephone-line.

The selective and releasing apparatus that may cooperate With the device of my present invention may be of any suitable character. I do not, therefore, deem an illustration of any such kind of apparatus herein to be essentia In practicing my invention I employ a circuit-changer at the exchange, which is adapted to cause a selected number of impulses of current to be impressed upon the party-line for the purpose of operating the selective devices at the substations. This selective switching mechanism at the exchange may be of any Well-kn0wn character. In addition to this selective switching mechanism I employ switching mechanism for effecting the release of the substation-selectors. It is my object to provide an interrelation between the releasing switching mechanism and the setting switching mechanism whereby the setting mechanism is maintained in the position to which it is set until the releasing switching mechanism is operated, which when operated serves not only to eifect the release and restoration of the selected devices at the substations, but also to release and permit the return to normal of the selective switching mechanism at the exchange.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention the selecting switching device at the exchange is preferably in the form of a wheel adapted to be held by a coil-spring, such as a clock-spring, in a zero position. This wheel is provided with a series of projections or elements that intermittently close a circuit including a source of current and the party-line, a handle being preferably fixed to a shaft upon which the wheel is fixed for the purpose of rotating the said wheel against the force of said spring to effect the result desired. A detent is provided for holding the wheel to any position to which it is set, it being understood that the wheel is moved through different angles to effect different selections. The switching device that is operated by the wheel for the purpose of intermittently effecting closure of the circuit that has been specified in turn desirably has its association with the partyline governed by a master-key that is common to a plurality of cord and plug circuits. In one position of the master-key the selective switching mechanism is connected with the party-line, in which position said masterkey has no releasing effect upon the detent; but When the said master-key is operated to disconnect the selective switching mechanism at the exchange from the party-line in order that a releasing-current may be sent out over the line the said detent is disengaged from the selective switching device at the exchange, whereupon the said device may be restored to its normal condition or zero position Without causing selecting impulses to be sent out over the line, even though the selecting switching device at the exchange is operated.

The association between the detent for the selective switching mechanism and the masterkey is preferably effected by means of an electromagnet arranged to operate the detent and included in a circuit controlled by the master-key. This same magnet may, if desired, be of low resistance and may be included in circuit with the battery or other source of current that is included in circuit with the telephone-line in order to effect the release of the selecting devices at the partyline substations. The same source of current may, if desired, also be used in effecting the operation of the selecting devices at the substations, to which end the battery in releasing the said substation devices is reversed with respect to its connections with the telephoneline when the substation devices are being selectively operated, as is understood to those skilled in the art.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing, diagrammatically indicating a party telephoneline extending from a plurality of substations to an exchange, at which exchange there is indicated so much of exchange apparatus as is necessary to an understanding of my invention.

The drawing illustrates the preferred embodiment of my invention; but I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction herein illustrated, as the invention may be otherwise practiced without departing from its spirit.

In the drawing I have indicated a party telephone-line (Z a extending from a plurality of substations A B, '&c., and terminating at the exchange in a spring-jack Z, normally in circuit with a line-indicator a. One of many line-jacks c is also indicated,with which the jack Z may be connected by way of suitable cord-connecting apparatus, which in the instance shown includes an answering-plug (Z and a connecting-plug e and cord-strands uniting the tips and sleeves of said plugs, the springs of a listening-key f being connected with the said strands and adapted to be moved by the lever f to be connected with the operators telephone outfit f Springs of a ringing-key g or a key that is adapted to act to open and shut a circuit over which current is to be passed to the line are also indicated in connection with the cord-strands. The alternate contacts of the springs of the key g extend to the springs Zt of a master-key, the alternate contacts of which latter springs extend to the selective switch Z, that is adapted to be intermittently opened and shut by the switch-operating wheel i, normally maintained against a stop Z to limit its rotation, while the coil-spring Z is employed to restore the wheel into engagement with thestop a handle Z being employed to move the said wheel against the force of the said spring, whereby the lugs or projections Z are successively caused to engage the kinked end Z of the spring 2' to bring the said spring intermittently into contact with its companion, whereby current from the battery it may be intermittently impressed upon the party-line in the event of the springs it being thrust into engagement with their alternate contacts by the lever Z, the alternate contacts of the springs of key 9 being brought into engagement with said springs by the lever f. The spring 21 makes the wheel that operates the switching deviceZaself-restoringswitch oper ating device. The springs 7t and the other springs, which,with them, are associated with the lever Z, are common to the cord-circuits or cord connectors of one operators position.

The operating-wheel of the switching mechanism is associated with some suitable form of detent element, as the detent m, which is so positioned as to engage one or the other of the lugs Z to prevent the wheel from being rotated by its spring. It will be understood that the number of lugs or teeth Z is not to be restricted and that each time a pin engages Z an impulse of current is impressed upon the line acting to operate the selective devices at the substations one step each. The handle that operates the wheel t" is desirably elongated to constitute an index n, which may register with scale-marks O 1 2 3, &c., to enable the operator to determine how many impulses of current have been impressed upon the line, the detent m, as specified, serving to hold the wheel and the handle in the positions to which they have been set.

The preferred form of intermediate connection between the detent m and the lever Z is an electromagnetic connection, to which end the detent m is preferably rigidly fixed upon and desirably integrally formed with the armature n of an electromagnet 0, whose helix is included in a circuit that includes the alternate contacts of the key 1) and the springs of said key when the spreader of the lever Z is moved to the left, the battery is being included in this circuit by way of the line a a, the spreader of lever f having been moved to the right.

It is understood that when the selecting devices at the substations are to be released the spreader of lever Z is moved toward the left,

by which operation not only is the battery 70 included in circuit with the line in a reverse manner to its connection with the line under the influence of the switch 7;, but the said switch ?l is disconnected from the line, for the connection of the said switch a with the line is brought about by the movement of the spreader of lever Z toward the right. When the switch 6 is thus cut oil, the line and the releasing impulse is sent over the line to restore the selected devices at the substations thereof, the electromagnet 0, which then is in series with the battery Z9, is energized to attract its armature, whereupon the detent m is withdrawn from connection with the pins Z ,whereby the spring Z is permitted to restore the wheel with which it is connected, the pins or projections Z failing in their return movement to impress impulses of current upon the line by reason of the disconnection of the switch 7]. Thus the operator only has manually to rotate the wheel i a sufficient distance to impress the requisite number of impulses on the line, the releasing of said wheel being accomplished prior to the next operation thereof, or, if desired, the wheel has only to move a short distance from its previous position to a further position to effect a proper number of impulses. The operator may choose not to restore the wheel, but to move it this additional distance for the next call. However, when a wheel has moved such a distance as to be very near its ultimate position, the wheel is automatically restored by the agency that has been above fully set forth.

While I have used this invention particularly for party telephone-lines, I do not wish to be limited in all embodiments of the invention to the uses to which it may be put.

While not wishing to be limited to details of construction and arrangement, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. In a party telephone-line,the combination with a telephone-line extending from a plurality of substations provided with selective and releasing devices to an exchange, of a switching device for connecting a source of current with a circuit, a self-restoring device serving intermittently to operate said switching device, a master-key for governing the association of said switching device with the circuit upon which it is designed to impress current, adetent normally adapted to hold said self-restoring device in its set position, and an electromagnet included in a circuit controlled by said master-key and governing the operation of said detent to permit the self-restoring device to restore when the switching device is dissociated from the circuit upon which current is to be impressed, substantially as described.

2. In a party telephone-line,the combination with a telephone-line extending from a plurality of substations provided with selective and releasing devices to an exchange, of a switching device for connecting a source of current with a circuit, a self-restoring device serving intermittently to operate said switching device, a master-key for governing the association of said switching device with the circuit upon which it is designed to impress current, and a detent normally adapted to hold said self-restoring device in its set position and governed by the master-key to release the said self-restoring device, when the switching device is dissociated from said circuit to permit the self-restoring device to restore, substantial] y as described.

3. In apparatus of the kind described, the combination with a switching device for connecting a source of current with a circuit, of a self-restoring device serving. intermittently to operate said switching device, a master-key for governing the association of said switching device with the circuit upon whlch it is designed to impress current, a detent normallyadapted to hold said self-restoring device in its set position, and an electromagnet included in a circuit controlled by said master-key and governing the operation of said detent to permit the self-restoring device to restore when the switching device is dissociated from the circuit upon which current is to be impressed, substantially as described.

4:. In apparatus of the kind described, the combination with a switching device for connecting a source of current with a circuit, of a self-restoring device serving intermittently to operate said switching device, amaster-key for governing the association of said switching device with the circuit upon which it is designed to impress current, and a detent normally adapted to hold said self-restoring device in its set position and governed by the master-key to release the said self-restoring device, when the switching device is dissociated from said circuit to permit the self-restoring device to restore, substantially as described.

53. In a party telephone-line,the combination with a telephone-line extending from a plurality of substations provided with selective and releasing devices to an exchange, of a switching device for connecting a source of current with a circuit, a self-restoring device serving intermittently to operate said switching device, a master-key for governing the association of said switching device with the circuit upon which it is designed to impress current, a detent normally adapted to hold said self-restoring device in its set position, and an electromagnet included in a circuit controlled by said master-key and governing the operation of said detent to permit the selfrestoring device to restore when the switching device is dissociated from the circuit upon which current is to be impressed, the switching device serving to impress current upon the line in one direction, while the masterkey serves to impress current upon the line in an opposite direction, substantially as described.

6. In a party telephone-line, the combination with a telephone-line extending from a plurality of substations provided with selective and releasing devices to an exchange, of a switching device for connecting a source of current with a circuit, a self-restoring device serving intermittently to operate said switching device, a master-key for governing the association of said switching device with the circuit upon which it is designed to impress current, and a detent normally adapted switching device is dissociated from said cir- In Witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my cuit to permit the self-restoring device to rename this 22d day of October, A. D; 1904:. store, the switching device servin to impress current upon the line in one dire dtion, While EDWARD L' 5 the master-key serves toinnpress currentupon Witnesses:

the line in an opposite direction, substantially G. L. CRAGG,

as described. A. J. OSTRANDER. 

